There are two types of perineal lateral incision suture: internal suture and external suture, the difference lies in the method of suture, suture used and postoperative suture removal.
1. Suture method: internal suture adopts intradermal suture, i.e., the needle is inserted from one end of the incision, alternately passes through the skin at the edges of the incision on both sides, and keeps on sewing until the other end of the incision is pierced out and fixed by a bowtie, which makes the incision well aligned and the suture line cannot be seen outside of the skin; external suture, on the other hand, is a suture that passes through the subcutaneous tissues, and is fixed by a knot and suture outside of the skin with a distinctive suture line visible outside of the skin.
2. The suture used: the internal suture is intestinal thread, which can be self-absorbed after surgery; while the external suture is silk thread, which is non-absorbable after surgery.
3. Postoperative suture removal: internal suture does not need to be removed; external suture needs to be removed after surgery, which will cause some pain.
Although the internal suture heals well without removing the suture, and the incision heals with a small scar, some people’s intestinal suture is not absorbed and will gradually fall off, which needs to be dealt with in time in the hospital. In perineal lateral incision, the suture method should be adopted according to the operation situation, individual physique and requirements.